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GTPulse: Traverse City Woman Starts Vegan, All Natural Beauty Line

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Makeup is part of many people’s beauty routines. Starting as early as middle or high school, it’s something that many of us learn how to apply at a young age. Traverse City local KC Springfield remembers her first encounter with makeup.

“As a little girl I would watch my mom put her makeup on in the mornings, and she would sort out her cosmetics and give me any she didn’t use anymore. I would experiment with different looks, and once I was school-aged and started having friends over, we would play dress up and I would always volunteer to be the makeup artist for my friends.”

KC owns the widely known all-natural, vegan nail polish company Northern Nail Polish and now she’s extended her expertise in natural beauty products to her newest project , a vegan and all-natural makeup and skincare line.

I go without makeup as much as I can but this wasn’t always the case. I obsessed over technique and products when I was in high school and community college, but it was sometime during University that one of my favorite professors told me her secret to keeping her skin so pretty was that she hardly ever wore makeup. Her reasoning was that all the chemical-laden products we put onto our bodies eventually absorb into the bloodstream and that most of those chemicals agitated her pores and lines.

“I still used some regular makeup up until about a year and a half ago. The hardest part was finding eyeshadows and blush that doesn’t contain talc or other unnecessary fillers. Even some labeled ‘natural’ contained these ingredients so it eventually became a project of mine to formulate my own,” KC said.

Some of the chemicals in typical makeup are carcinogenic, toxic and endocrine disruptors. Our endocrine systems are made up of glands that produce hormones used for cell and organ function. Unenthused, KC still wore some mainstream makeup for a while but it wasn’t until she got pregnant with her son did she stop use completely.

“Only during pregnancy or while breastfeeding my son. It was very important to me to stay away from all toxins during that time. After that, when planning my new line, I would add items to a list for inspiration to start looking into how to make it myself or find someone who could. Having the nail polish background helped me understand how ingredients work together and gave me more access to the ingredients I would use to formulate the makeup with.”

Northern Apothecary has eyeshadows, eyeshadow primer, concealer and blush sticks among other things. She’s also collaborating with other Michigan and other woman-owned small businesses.

“There’s a brand I collaborated with in Chelsea, MI that is making lotions and liquid hand soaps for me, and I have been using her lotions personally for over a year now. So I am really excited to release those products soon!”

KC has skincare and men’s products available as well and she’s excited to get back out at markets and shows this coming summer. Like KC’s nail polishes, they’re in glass bottles to reduce single-use plastic. She’s also excited to continue working on new products to add to the line.

“Other makeup products I’ve dabbled with making are lipstick and lip gloss. Just playing around with the opacity, shades, and feel for now. Not sure when or if I’ll release these products yet.”

Northern Apothecary is available online and KC will be out at markets and trade shows this summer. Healthy is beautiful and KC makes it easy to feel like both.

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